Can anyone tell me why wounds are taking longer to heal - is it my age? - 76 - or is it the medication - Fostair and Salbutamol? I often cut or knock myself on arms or legs in the garden. If the skin does not break on my arms they are usually covered in blood bruises just under the skin. The last open wound on my leg has taken nearly three weeks to completely heal. I think I may need body armour to work outside this coming Spring.

92 Replies

Hi, fostair is a steroid. When i was first diagnosed i was on seretide, another steroid, for about 5 months. I put on 10kg, but the worse bit was tearing of the skin and blood vessels under the skin. My skin was so thin that i only had to brush against a doorway or something similar and my skin would tear and take ages to clear. I told my doctor that i did not want steroids anymore, i had done my research and found that spiriva did the same job, but was more expensive. My doctor agreed and i had no more problems.

I have been on Seretide and Spiriva and my doctor has not said there is any connection with the skin tearing or bruising. She did say it was probably due to the steroids I have to take during bad spells.

My skin is so creped looking from the elbow down and also from the knee down.

I get very depressed and have to try and cover up, but as you say even if you take a slight knock by hitting a door etc you end up with a cut or bruising that lasts for weeks.

It's ok, I went on Spiriva recently so looked it all up. They both contain long-acting bronchodilators but Spiriva is a muscarinic antagonist & the one in seretide is a beta2 agonist. Don't ask me for a scientific explanation but it means they work in different ways. I find it an effective combination for bronch/asthma

I don't think I'll be having a tattoo at my age ,,,,although I do wish I had one years ago ,just a little one ,,,,but now I see far too many needles coming my ways,,haha,,,,my daughter a little Daisy tattoo on her tummy years ago ,,,,but when she got pregnant it turned into a gerbra ,,,,don't tell her I said that hahahaha

10 months agoHidden

Heh heh....so funny, poor girl...I promise I won't tell, but I can imagine the picture in my mind.

Hi Vizzie123, if you look through some of my previous posts you will see my progress.

I was diagnosed asthma plus stage 2 moderate copd ( chronic bronchitis/emphysema) in March last year with an FEVof 69%, BP of 154 and sats at 88/89. Beginning of December i started using cannabis oil, xmas day i had a lung function test....my FEV was 84%, my BP was 125 and my sats were 98%. I have not taken any medication since xmas eve.

If you are interested in knowing more go to "treating copd with cannabis" on facebook. Join and read the pinned post carefully. Also read the file section.

I am due for another test next month as my Dr. does not understand how i was able to reverse my condition, he thinks it was just a fluke.

I will be posting my results on here.

Cannabis oil works and is being used to treat people all around the world.

Merv, I found your post very interesting and have heard of a number of copd-ers saying they've used the oil etc. I'm not sure on third results but yours seem great. How do you "take" this oil and how often.

I take my oil as a suppository 3 times a day. You have to play around with it and find the right dosage, once you have done that then you take it daily....for the rest of your life. It is NOT a cure but it opens the airways up without the need for steroids etc. As i take it in the back door there is no high. Please don't get confused with and waste money on CBD oil which you can buy on the internet. Cannabis oil with a high CBD level will do nothing for copd. You need an oil with a high THC level, which you cannot purchase on the internet. You can find a supplier of weed and make your own oil, but the weed must have a high content of THC or you can grow your own. Initially i purchased the weed, but it was poor quality, i am now growing my own, which is much cheaper and i know it will be high in THC.

To learn more about this subject go to " treating copd with cannabis" on facebook. Join and read the pinned post very carefully. Also go to the file section.

I found spiriva to be fine, within a month or so i stopped tearing my skin. I don't know about your inhaler as i used to use ventolin. However, as per my post i no longer take any medication as i am on cannabis oil.

i never smoked it but some friends did side affects I had from sitting in the same room was worse than the side affects I get from ventolin I use to go really shivery first I thought it was coincident but every time I went round there and they was smoking it same thing happened one night I was shivering felt sick they was having a party I told dawn I was going home for a bit they only lived a few houses away I got out the door passed out straight over onto the concrete luckily I wasn't really hurt few bruises and I had only had one drink ,

Poor you - just the one drink and on to the concrete! You must have been nicely relaxed when you fell. I would not know a cannabis or any other drug come to think of it. All these thingies must have appeared whilst I was raising a family. I never even had an alcoholic drink until I was 40 but then I made up for it.

Smoking cannabis won't do anything for you except to get high. If you can get it in it's natural state, make your own oil. There are a number of videos on youtube. But make sure the cannabis is high in THC levels.

Unfortunately you have a doctor who does not know anything about cannabis oil. If you have the right oil, which is high in THC it opens your airways much better than any medication. My condition has reversed, i don't know why, although the majority of people who take the oil find the same thing. It is NOT a cure, i will have to take the oil for the rest of my life. But i have gone from stage 2 moderate to stage 1 mild in a very short period and have not taken any medication since xmas eve.

Google Jeff waters and read his story....very interesting.

Go to "treating copd with cannabis" on face book, join and read the pinned post and the files very carefully.

SP🙂 Thanks so much for the info. Now. Need to find a doctor who will write a prescription. For me here in Calgary, Canada!!!

10 months agoHidden

Thankyou Merv. I have not put any weight on thank goodness, but yes, the skin thinning and weakness is bothersome. I asked the Surgery about Spirivia, I believe it is powder in capsule form to be pierced and inhaled. I know I could not do that.

If you can't tolerate the powder, it comes in spray form now Jennifer. It's called Spiriva Respimat. This is fairly recent so your surgery might not have known about it. I'm ok with the powder actually, as it's very fine, and it's improved my breathing hugely.

10 months agoHidden

Thankyou Hanne62 for your very helpful advice. I will make an appointment and ask about it.

Mine's the same. The steroid inhaler (Fostair) will have some long term effects but much more damaging are the frequent uses of the Devils Smarties Prednisilone to which we all have a love/hate relationship. I've also had cataracts, glaucoma and early onset Type 2 diabetes all put down as pred related. Also damages bone density and long term infection control. Not something to get hooked on if you can avoid it.

did you know velvet they cut down on tetanus jabs I went to book mine cos i was due they told me I don't need it any more as cant remember if they said 3 or 4 in my life so I wouldn't need it doing I told them im always getting cuts from the garden they said it don't matter

When l was the star striker in my Grandchildrens football game, and broke my arm after a nasty tackle from a 5 year old, a couple of years ago...it was the first thing the doctors at A & E asked me....in between laughing their sock off at a grandma playing football....BL**dy cheek !! 😂xx

I asked about a tetanus shot last time I visited the copd nurse but the said it was not necessary. Our doctors surgery has now closed and I've had to register with a new practice so I'll ask again. Gardens can be bad places. Thanks for the advice.

Hope all went well with your heart scan after your fasting. Just rang my Daughter, she has cardiomyopathy. She is due another scan, she is very tired today, but she works hard and has to take her rest when she can.

Steroid inhalers make the skin very thin and cause bruising on a big scale. When my dog was a puppy he often broke the skin on the back of my hands with his paws. The trouble is my COPD is very bad and I cannot stop taking the inhalers. Also in the past I have had to take Prednisone which has the same effect, although now I refuse to take it unless I am at death's door because of other side effects, such as terrific mood swings and confusion. I also take Spiriva. It's either put up with the bruising or not being able to breath.

By the way I live in East London UK and TB is the highest on record for England and it is antibiotic resistant, so don't think for a moment that it no longer is a threat, as someone has posted. Perhaps they don't live in the U.K.

I have never had a tetanus shot for years and have never associated it with TB, only tetanus.

If you have a choice not to take steroids in any form, then you are lucky, but I don't. In the past I have used Manuka Active as high in number as I can find, and used it under a plaster. A wonderful cure for nasty cuts that won't heal properly with very thin skin.

hi val I think you miss read what I was saying I wasn't linking tetanus with tb only saying that doctors no longer give teenagers tb jabs as a routine like they did when I was a teenager , also I went for my 10 year booster jab for tetanus and they said you don't have them any more

10 months agoHidden

I will try the manuka most definitely. Thankyou very much for the tip.

It's definitely the steroids A1J1S. I used to have an inhaler which had steroids in it and got so fed up with bruising and bleeding that I refused to take it anymore. The only time I resort to them now is in a short burst when I have an infection....which fortunately is rare. Ask your GP for an alternative and your skin will get back to normal - albeit, with scars. XX

10 months agoHidden

This is just what I am going to do Nikkers. I never realised that Fostair is steroid........sigh. The scars of healed skin are hypertrophic in appearance. . Thankyou very much for your advice.

Earlier I answered the door to a parcel delivery man, he laughed when I apologised for being in my bath robe and said "it is the perfect day for a long lie in". I just stopped myself from telling him no "I am dressing my wounds". LOL that would be tmi - I just hope he didn't notice the bloody mess my legs are in!

Hi ,your not on your own with this one ,my arms are covered in those under the skin blood bruises ,,, that are about to bleed ,,,the slightest knock on anything and my arms are a ness ,my legs also bruise really easily and it takes weeks for them to fade ,I've got 3 beauties at moment on my legs that I hope will fade as I'm off to a spa to celebrate my 70th birthday next week ,,,, as for my arms ,,, it's not too bad in the winter I can cobpver them in sleeves but the sumner ,,,,,my arms a mess ,,,as they are now ,,,,,I'm going to be extra careful not to knock them again before my spa day ,

I was told ie: as you get older your skin gets thin and all the steroids etc don't help ,

Hello AIJ I had so many wounds on arms and legs due to knocking them and the skin tearing off so badly that l had to go to A &E to have stitches/strips. I had been advised to cream my arms and legs daily, my GP gave me double base gel and this has proved to be the answer, l still bruise but my skin doesn't tear. Now that l have said that out in the open l hope it won't result in another visit to the hospital!!!!! but seriously it seems to be the answer for me. It is not medication only a cream . Worth a try? Grimmie

10 months agoHidden

I'm willing to try anythinbg Grimmie, and a big thankyou for your welcome advice.What is the name of this gel?

Have seen countless posts with the same theme - something in the meds is causing this but not sure what. I've been on Seretide and my arms particularly looked like the map of China, don't take prednisolone except for rare infections. Maybe a combination of ageing and meds?

10 months agoHidden

Seems to be just that dragonmum. It's good to have lots of input from you all, it is very helpful and appreciated.

10 months agoHidden

Injuries to your skin do take longer to heal as you advance in age, nothing to worry about. Please take a little more care in the garden, if you are anything like me roses reach out and grab you as you walk by!!!!!!!! Happy gardening A1J1S

10 months agoHidden

Thankyou Antony76,

I will take more care this year and get longer gloves. I already wear wellies and an old coat.

I agree with those who have blamed the steroid. Even when inhaled, this is one of the side effects. I switched from Advair to Spiriva for just that reason a few months ago, and found my skin improved almost immediately. Unfortunately, I began to have hacking coughs at night and so I went back on Advair. I need the steroid. My skin is bad again, but being winter, my arms are covered more and less likely to be injured.

10 months agoHidden

Thankyou very much janesilver. I appreciate you telling me about this. It seems to be trial and error doesn't it?

Hi Jennifer. Drives me crazy too but if it's a choice between papery skin & breathing.... I'm 63, skin's been dreadful for years, after 40+ yrs of inhaled & oral steroids. I get really fed up too, eg at daughter's summer wedding, hot day & I'm covered from head to toe because my arms & legs are so scarred & discoloured. Couldn't wear heels either because of arthritic feet (& I'm only 5' tall). But, without steroids I'd have been dead years ago.

One tip is, on the advice of my surgery's wound nurse I keep a small first-aid kit in my bag & car. Literally a capsule of .9% saline, disposable tweezers, a strip of steri-strips, and a couple of different-sized Op-site dressings. Squirt the saline on the wound to clean it, bring the edges together with tweezers, carefully position the steri-strips & lastly the Op-site to seal it. Gives you enough time to get to surgery, & more likely to save skin flap, speed healing & reduce scarring.

10 months agoHidden

Hello Hanne62,

Thankyou for your very helpful and sensible advice. I am going to make sure I have one of these kits in my greenhouse and one in the kitchen. I can see that I will have to be prepared.

Anyway your Daughter loves you warts and all and was just so happy that you were with her on her big day. She would not see your coverings - just the love and pride on your face.

Aww that's a lovely thought Jennifer, & you're right she is very loving. I had my makeup done & my hair is still good so I looked ok from neck up Didn't feel very glam but at least I was there, had it been the following week I'd have been in hospital!

Definitely put a kit together, it saves losing so much skin, which as you'll have noticed, shrinks very quickly & it's then impossible to bring the edges together. I haven't had an ulcer yet & don't intend to!

Hi, the one cream is called double bass gel which l get from my doctor, this is put on my arms and legs daily and there is another one much heavier but for smaller surfaces is nice is called Conotrane, l can get this one from my GP too. Both can be bought from the chemists at a fair price. My skin is very thin and l am so glad that someone told me how beneficial creaming would be, so hope you will find it is good for you, it cannot harm you anyway. Good luck. Grimmie

10 months agoHidden

Thankyou for your helpful reply Grimmie. I have put the names on to my list of things to ask the doctor.